The platform is still extant, a public
footpath follows the course of the line west towards Ringwood through
Holmsley Station. The station building on the opposite side of Station
Road has been extended and converted into a tea room.

Notes: The station was known as Christchurch Road until 13.11.1862.
The goods service was withdrawn from the station on 1.5.1961.

BRIEF HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON
& DORCHESTER RAILWAY (Lymington Junction to Hamworthy Junction)
The South Western's first major push westwards occurred after
collaboration with Charles Castleman, a Wimborne solicitor, and
the opening of 'Castleman's Snake' from Northam to Dorchester
during June and July 1847. From Lymington Junction, Brockenhurst,
the line swept inland through Holmsley (known as Christchurch
Road until 1888), Ringwood, West Moors, Wimborne and Broadstone
before continuing southwestward to Wareham and Dorchester. The
usual destination was Bournemouth West. The line was opened by
the Southampton & Dorchester Railway although the service
was provided by the London & South Western. The S & D
amalgamated with the LSWR in 1848.

When the 'Branksome avoiding line' and the 'Holes Bay curve'
were opened on 1st June 1893 they removed the need for reversals
at Bournemouth West and Broadstone respectively for the Southampton
- Dorchester- Weymouth service and the line from Lymington Junction
through Ringwood to Hamworthy Junction lost all main line traffic
except for Weymouth extras avoiding Bournemouth.

On summer Saturdays in Southern days the line served as useful
alternatives for some of the many holiday trains run at peak periods.
A few through trains from Waterloo ran to Swanage. Traffic on
the line was always light and closure had been proposed before
the line was eventually axed under Beeching from 4 May 1964, although
goods traffic continued to use the line to Ringwood from Broadstone
Junction until 7th August 1967, after which it was cut back to
West Moors where occasional military trains served a fuel depot
until 1974. After that, a local twice-weekly goods service to
Wimborne together with the presence there of an exhibition train
company base, kept the western stub of the line in use until 1977

Sources: A regional history of the Railways of Great Britain
- Volume 2 Southern England
David & Charles 1961
Rail Routes in Hampshire & East Dorset by David Fereday Glenn
- Ian Allen 1983